Eden Project now in 'delivery mode' after delays

Project director John Pye said the £100m project will bring about £10m in investment to the town each year

The Eden Project in Morecambe is now in "delivery mode" after "a period of pause and delays", the project director has said.

The project, led by Lancaster City Council, Lancashire County Council and Lancaster University, has faced several delays due to funding.

Last week it was revealed work will start at the seafront site next year, with an opening date of late 2028.

Project director John Pye said about 500 jobs would be created around the construction of the eco-attraction, plus about 150 full-time jobs when it was in operation.

The Morecambe project has faced several delays due to funding

He said the £100m project would bring about £10m in investment to the town each year.

Mr Pye, formerly the head of estates for the Royal Horticultural Society in the north, said its theme "will be about the rhythms of Morecambe Bay and the tides".

He added there would be two main areas - Realm of the Sun "a cathedral-like nod to Eden's traditional horticulture" and Realm of the Moon "an immersive darker environment, explaining how humans interact with the rhythms of the earth."

The shell-inspired structure, sister site to the original Eden Project in Cornwall, has been projected to attract thousands of people to the Lancashire town when it opened.

It will be built on the promenade where Bubbles leisure complex used to be sited, with the Grade II listed Winter Gardens and Midland Hotel its near neighbours.

Last week new images of the "global garden" were released with the project team saying the structure would be "instantly recognisable" as an "emblem of sustainability".